Today’s post is sponsored by the new Windows Phone 7.
It comes as a surprise to many of my friends that I cook as often as I do. Even more than before I had my second baby. Anyone with little folks at home can tell you that you’re not allowed more than about 20 minutes to prepare anything in the kitchen…and that’s with continuous distribution of Cheerios and puffs. Out of necessity, I have learned how to get a lot more done with a lot less time.
In conjunction with the launch of the Windows Phone 7, the folks at Microsoft are coordinating with me and 57 other food and lifestyle bloggers (see the official rules for a list of all the participating bloggers) to give away their new smartphones to our readers and challenged us to write a post on the theme of “doing more with less”. Before I get to how I used this classic Cornbread recipe to “do more with less”, let me give you the details on how to enter the giveaway.
To enter the Windows Phone 7 giveaway:
- Leave a comment on this post, sharing one way you make your life easier in the kitchen (e.g., chopping up vegetables ahead of time, organizing your pantry, enlisting your spouse or kids to help out)
- You can enter once per day until the contest ends on Monday, November 29, 2010. (For even more chances to win, I’m giving away another phone on Panini Happy)
- One entry on this blog will be selected at random to win a brand-new Windows Phone 7. Please note that the phone will ship within 8-10 weeks.
- The official rules can be found here.
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Multitasking and synergizing – I don’t even consciously do it anymore, it’s just how I operate. I’ve always been pretty efficient with my time but these days I’ve become a bit of a maximizing machine out of necessity. Sometimes you’ll see this manifest itself on my blogs, when I prepare one recipe here on Cooking On the Side and then parlay the leftovers into a tasty sandwich over on Panini Happy. You may recall these examples:
- Classic Meat Loaf became Meat Loaf Patty Melt Panini
- Braised Short Ribs became Braised Short Rib Panini
- White Whole Wheat Walnut Bread became Brie & Dried Apricot Panini
If you go to Panini Happy today you’ll see how I turned leftovers from cornbread I made for Cooking On the Side into Pulled Pork Cornbread Panini with Caramelized Onions and Pepper Jack.
I actually make cornbread quite often, and I always use the recipe from the back of a box of corn meal (the recipe has been on the box for years). It’s the quickest bread I know how to make, start to finish in under 30 minutes. Plus, I always have all the ingredients on hand. This one is moist and mildly sweet with a crumbly corn texture. I was inspired by a recent post on Healthy Food for Living to try grilling some panini with the leftovers. Read on for the Cornbread recipe for the cornbread and then hop over to Panini Happy for my panini (and a chance to win another Windows Phone 7!).
Corn Bread
From the back of the Albers Yellow Corn Meal package
Makes 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.
Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.
NOTE: Recipe may be doubled. Use greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan; bake as above.
FOR MUFFINS: Spoon batter into 10 to 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups filling 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes.
This giveaway is brought to you by the new Windows Phone 7. Less tech tired. More tech trendy: Learn about Windows Phone online and see it in person at local T-Mobile stores today.
I try to reduce my grocery-store trips. This forces me to use up all those random ingredients from the back of the pantry, so it’s not such a mysterious jungle in there.
I like “doctoring up” my cornbread a little. Add some well-drained corn kernels just to add a little textural interest. If I don’t have corn in my pantry (pretty unusual) I’ll saute some diced onions and red bell peppers and stir ’em in just before the batter is poured in the pan. Also, sage is very good in cornbread.
do more with less by ALWAYS making one and freezing one for later!
Before moving, my grandma gave my family her recipes for our favorite foods and we’ve been using it ever since. Since I’m in college, I’m really hoping to gather more recipes to make a family cookbook in the future!
This week I realized that I don’t need a rice cooker; my pot works just fine. The cooker became a gift. Now I have more space and spent less (zero) money.
I really want this phone! Haha, anyways, in the kitchen, the blender definitely helps with making tasty smoothies every morning, or when we feel like it! It’s the ultimate delicious and healthy drink!
I’ll be able to get more done with less by consolidating my devices when I get a Windows Phone.
I use Photoshop Elements instead of the full PS suite–and I still am able to do just what I need to do!
I put a small trashcan in the kitchen for all those little scraps so I don’t have to walk all the way out of the kitchen to throw it away.
I do all of the chopping at one time and bag/freeze in ziplocs (onions, bellpeppers, celery, garlic). I also keep a family-contributor list where everyone adds the things we need at the grocery.
Making my life easier in the kitchen begins with grocery shopping for me. I keep a list in excel. It has all the basics, I just check off the items I need and go print.
One of the ways that I multi-task in the kitchen is that I use a dedicated coffee maker to boil water and that frees up my microwave/stove top to do other things rather than just boiling water. I use that for water on vegetables, tea water, and pasta water. Then I just nuke it to finish the cooking process. Its faster and I get to do other things at the same time. I will often start a cooking process and while its going I’m taking out the trash or putting away the clean dishes and I’m wearing my ipod listening to educational podcasts such as the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar out of Stanford University.
I will make extra meat ie.hamburger when I am making spaghetti, and freeze the extra either in sauce or by itself so that on those days that I am rushed to cook dinner I can just grab, thaw and reheat.
I’ve been skipping the glass of wine with dinner. Saves money and calories!
I finally learned to let guests help with the clean-up. It sounds obvious, but I guess I always thought everything was my job.
i do more with less when i use coupons they help so much
I get more with less by doing comparison shopping using Bing.
I try to double up on recipes whenever I DO have time, freezing it for dinner-in-a-hurry later on (i.e. homemade frozen food).
I “cheat” with desserts, too, often choosing those recipes that use a box cake mix – saves LOTS of ingredient-measuring time!
I started using Mint.com, and it was shocking to see how much I was spending on workday lunches. I’ve been trying to pack my lunches more this year. I got this cute little box (http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Lunch-Colors-Vary/dp/B000FNCS5M) which makes it fun and convenient to pack the night before and run out the door in the morning.
My husband loves putting leftover meat with cheese and toasting it into a quesadilla. One more dinner I don’t have to worry about.
I’m all about doing more with less by using free tools such as the Google calendar to organize my day, week, month, year…need I go on!!!
My more for less: Bake family goodies instead of buying storebought. Make extra and freeze for later. Do the same for meals: cook more, freeze extras.
One way I make my life easier in the kitchen is always having sharp knives. I know it’s kinda obvious but it truly aids in the speed of cutting up vegetables and fruits.
With a very busy toddler, I know what you mean about being in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes or less. I like to plan out our meals ahead of time and make sure that there are leftovers for lunches the next day. I also love crockpot cooking. I get the crockpot all set up the night before and put it in the fridge. The next morning before I leave for work, I take it out and plug it in. Viola! Dinner is done when I get home.
I chop my onions, celery, and peppers up and freeze them. Then when I need them I just pull out a bag from the freezer.
I’ve been doing more kitchen cleaning with less effort after buying a Roomba. It’s a pet that cleans my home… awesome!
I am loving aluminum foil as an insulation material these days, helps me shape cakes, and keep things warm 🙂
I try to stay out of the stores unless I need something and then I take a list and stick to it. I use the internet to search for the best price before I waste gas.
I save time in the kitchen by keeping my knives really sharp. It may sound trivial, but it you can cut faster you save time.
I get more done by relying on The Cake Doctor book, everything starts with a boxed mix. It may not sound sexy but I the Amaretto cake I make it outstanding…my mother in law took the recipe and will not share it with her friends lest they know her secret!
I read the grocery store weekly ads during my lunch break. That helps me plan out my grocery trip and gives me meal ideas, so I waste less time trying to think “what’s for dinner.”
I do more with less by using awesome phone apps. There are many useful, fun, and creative apps out there that help make life a little bit easier to manage.
I cook french toast in the waffle iron! SO much faster than the traditional way.
I do more by sleeping less. It is amazing what you can get done in the morning without distractions.
Life is easier in the kitchen when I can buy spices and staples on sale and avoid having to buy last minute at higher prices.
I get more done by using the Microsoft Outlook junk filters to see less spam.
Menu planning, coupon clipping, and bargain hunting!! Thanks!
This Fall I started growing spices on my kitchen windowsill. I now have them staring me in the face when cooking so I use them MORE often, and they cost much LESS than buying spices.
I do more with less by baking from scratch and cooking meals instead of grabbing fast food or eating out. It not only saves money, but it’s also healthier. I really need a new phone!
I get my screen more organized with less hassle using Windows 7’s Snaps feature.
I cook a lot from scratch and we use a lot of coupons. It saves us money and leaves lots of left overs so there’s always something to grab for lunch.
I bring snacks with me everywhere, especially while travelling. This helps avoid the low-blood-sugar rush to an awful fast-food meal.
I used your cornbread recipe to make Cornbread and sausage stuffing. It’s going to be a great Thanksgiving.
HI,
I make my life easier in the kitchen by planning Crock Pot meals.
Thanks
I try to plan my menu for the week and write a list of what I need for that menu.
Doing more with less means keeping your cars as long as possible especially when they are paid off.
This might be a little too simple, but I am so glad tupperware was invented! Haha, it might not seem like much but it definitely helps me in the kitchen with stocking vegetables, leftovrs and more! Hope I win!
My tip to keep it simple in the kitchen is to stay out of the kitchen.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
In my kitchen I’ve been doing more cooking with less fat. The only meat I use these days is turkey breast, and I subsitute “fat free half&half” for milk or cream.
I make life easier in the kitchen by using stackable storage containers for my staples and have them all located in one convenient easy to reach spot.